Getting her wings
by CaseClosed621
Summary: She's a normal girl with a deck, trying to get by in the world.  But what happens when she finds out she has power that no one has ever seen before?  A power that could rival all of the signers put together?
1. Chapter 1

**hey guys! i just got bored one day and started writing this. hope you all like it. **

**Warning: prone to sporatic updates. this won't follow any pattern, i'll update when i feel like it and when i have time.  
**

I walked along in the early spring air with my backpack thrown over a shoulder. On a digital holographic billboard above me it was advertising a match between Jack Atlas and Yusei Fudo. "Can't those two give it a rest already?" i thought. they dueled about once a year and the advertising always called it the duel of the century. And Yusei always won. i'd thought that Jack might have been tired of losing by now. I felt my own deck in my pocket. I'd gotten a new card to upgrade it last night and it had fit in perfectly. i wasn't a bad duelist but i was by no means the best. i was about middle of the pack with everything. As i walked into the school yard i saw several before school duels going on. There was a duel going between Josh Turner and Serena Williams. they were the two best duelists in class and they were always trying to show the other up. Another was going on between Rick Stevens and Scott Benson. Scott was the biggest bully in school and he was always trying to duel the younger, less expirenced kids to take their cards. Rick i knew well though and i knew he could more than hold his own against that jerk. I went into the school building and joined the crowd of kids around our classroom to get the results of the test we had taken two days before. it was in stratagies for dueling an opponent. One by one we were called in and the teacher told us our grades privately. more than a few people came out with frowns on their faces.

Soon it was my turn. "Good morning Mr. Williams," i said. "Ah good morning Sarah, just the person i was hoping to see here this morning. Have a seat." With a free hand he motioned to the seat right next to his desk. "How bad did i do?" i asked, taking the seat. "Bad," he asked me quizzically," my dear girl you didn't do bad at all. on the contrary actually. you got the highest scores in class." "What, no way!" "Way," he replied," you've done a lot of shaping up this past year. i look forward to seeing you compete in the all school championship." "i wasn't planning on entering," i replied. "Not entering," he cried," but my dear girl you'd do well. the thought of you not entering is beyond me." "But i'm not doing the best in my other classes," i said," i'm by no means the straight A's student that Serena and Josh are. i'd never even make it past my first duel." "But that's where you are wrong," said Mr. Williams," let me tell you something. Just because a person gets straight A's in class doesn't mean that they can actually duel. no in order to actually duel you need to have poured your heart and soul into your deck and i can see that you have done that well. I'd be willing to coach you privately before the championships if you wish but it would break my heart not to see you compete." "I still don't see the point," i replied," but if you think i can do it then i'll be happy to give it a shot."

he agreed to help me every other day during recess. i walked out of his room and to my locker to get what i would need for the morning classes. Dueling is taken very seriously here. All children are taught how to duel at an early age and at school they are taught the basics of it. Elementary schools will teach a mix of dueling and Book learning like math and reading and science. in middle school and high school you get more of a choice of where you want to go with your life whether it be academics or Dueling. Mom used to be a good duelist in her day and she wants me to succeed where she couldn't so i took the Dueling route, filling my schedule with strategy and card classes. i don't mind though, i was no good at the book learning stuff so i took up dueling. Mr. Williams is my favorite teacher this year. He teaches the lesser known strategies and combinations that you can play. his class is actually the only class i'm earning an A in. everything else is a B or a C, but i get by. The all school championships is held at the end of the year, every year. anyone who wants to can compete for the title of best in school. it's not mandatory though so i just usually go and sit on the sidelines to cheer for friends. Mom would be pleased that i decided to enter this year.

"Ouch," said Yusei as his son sent an attack at him," where did you learn that move?" "Mom," answered his 9 year old son, Davie. "Have her teach you how to use control," said Yusei," and don't let her know that you're using your powers. And remember don't use them on anyone but me or her. got that?" "Yes dad," sighed the boy," now make your move." Yusei smiled, Davie reminded him so much of himself in those days. In a few more rounds the duel was over. Yusei had won but not before taking a beating from his son. "Time for dinner," called Akeza," stop your duel and come eat." Davie ran inside followed by his father. "What's for dinner mom?" asked the boy. "Chicken, mashed potatoes, and salad," replied Akeza," and if you eat everything you get dessert too. Now take these plates to the table and put them in the right spots." Akeza turned to Yusei. "You grab the salad bowl and bring it to the table," she said. "Yes dear," said Yusei, with a good natured grin. "Davie got and call your sister down for dinner," called Akeza. "Sis," he shouted," time for dinner." "Your mother could have done that herself," said Yusei," go and tell her." Davie grumbled as he climbed up the stairs. "How'd he do?" asked Akeza. "Better," said Yusei," i took a beating from him. He needs a bit more control though. he doesn't know quite yet exactly what he's capable of." "Neither do we for that matter," replied Akeza," i'll remind him and have his teachers at the institute work on his control." Yusei and Akeza had gotten married a few years ago, just after Yusei had gone to the pro legues. While Yusei dueled for a living Akeza had founded the institute for psycic duelists. it was a school that specailised in teaching duelists gifted with psycic powers and how to control them. There were a surprising number of them, along with their two children. Yusei and Akeza brought out the rest of the food as the two kids came down and everyone sat down to eat.

"Where did you get that card," Jack shouted to his son. His son, Jeremy, had just played a fairy card. "Mom gave it to me," he told his father," she said that fairies were very versitile." "She should know," said Jack," she's dueled me enough to know. I still say that fairies don't belong in a boy's deck." "I heard that Jack," said Carley. She was watching her son and husband duel while she edited a piece or journalism she had written for the newspaper she worked for. "Alright, alright," said Jack," My turn." The two of them dueled for a bit longer with Jeremy winning. He ran upstairs to put his duel disk away. "You went easy on him," said Carley, staring at her computer screen," i know you had tons of cards that could have defeated him in a heartbeat." "Well if he lost all the time it would be bad for his moral," said Jack. "So does that mean that all the times we duel and i win you're letting me win," Said Carley with a cheeky grin. "You," said Jack. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and went into their house to give Jeremy a snack. Carley sent the piece she'd been working on to her boss and followed Jack inside.

"You have to be kidding me," said Serena to her friend Amelia," how does that little thing think she can beat me?" Serena and Amelia had gone in early to see the list of participants for the all school championships. Serena had laughed out loud when she saw Sarah's name on the participant list. "Even with her favorite teacher's help i see no way she's going to last past the first round," said Amelia. during the day as people stopped by the participant list they all had a good laugh over who had signed up. Sarah was by no means a horrible duelist. but she rarely dueled. no one really knew her strengths and weaknesses so they all assumed that she wasn't a good duelist. "Everyone's laughing at me," said Sarah during the private session she was having," they all think i'm a no good duelist who won't last past her first duel." "And you won't," said Mr. Williams." if you keep worrying about what other people are thinking about you. you need to bring your A game with you to every duel and that includes this one. now let's duel." Sarah smiled as she drew her cards. She could always rely on a pep talk form her teacher to get her back on her game.

"I'm serious Yusei," said Crow into the video phone screen," she's good. i've never seen anything quite like her." "Crow if you think she's a psycic then why'd you call me?" asked Jack. Crow was doing a three way video call with his best friends Jack and Yusei. He was telling them about this amazing new duelist he had found. "Because i wanted your opinion on her talent," said Crow," i'm mailing the video files of our duels to you. if you could both have a look at the files and tell me what you think?" A second video screen opened beside both Yusei and Jack where they were. they both watched the footage Crow had spliced together. "Where did you find her," asked Yusei. "She goes to this school that i work at," replied Crow," her mother used to move in the semi pro circles and she wanted the same for her daughter. the girl's quiet and shy but she's got a good head on her shoulders." "How does she do on a bike?" Jack asked. "No idea," said Crow," this school doesn't give classes to kids that are lower than grade ten in turbo dueling." "I'd like to see her on a bike," said Jack thoughtfully," Yusei you think she's psycic?" "Maybe but i can't say for sure," said Yusei staring at the footage," she's about the right age for her powers to be showing but usually they show with a big bang like when they're dueling and something huge happens. Akeza is usually better at spotting these things than i am." "So you think she's got talent?" Crow asked his friends. "I think she's got something," said Jack," from the way she duels i'd say that it's more than likely talent. i'd like to see her in action as well as see what she can do on a bike." "I'd like to see her in action too," said Yusei," she looks like she's got more talent than i can shake a deck at." "Well then i've got good news for you," said Crow," i talked her into entering the championships here at the school. they start next week so i can get you two in the door if you want." "I think we can get in the door ourselves thanks," said Yusei," i can barely go anywhere without getting recognized. If you can tell them ahead of time at the school that we'll be coming then much obliged." "Same for me, Crow," said Jack," i want to see this kid for myself." "I was hoping you'd say that," said Crow," the championships are next monday. they start at 10. i'll see you two then." Everyone cut the connection.

Yusei watched the footage of the girl dueling Crow thoughtfully. She wasn't bad all told. she needed to balance her deck a bit more, more monsters and less spell and trap cards but all in all not bad. She dueled from the heart like every duelist should so that was a plus at least and she didn' have to read the cards over and over again to remind herself of what they did. Yusei smiled as he remembered the hours he had spent studying his deck to learn what each of his monsters was. As he watched he caught sight of something odd. She kept glancing over her right shoulder. almost like a friend was standing there and they were talking about what move to make next. it reminded him of the way that Luna dueled when she and Kuribo were talking. could this girl be able to talk to the duel spirits as well? Yusei touched a button on his screen. A few seconds later Luna's face appeared in the screen. "What's up Yusei?" she asked. "Nothing much," replied Yusei," you got a minute?" Luna looked down, no doubt checking her watch. "A few but we need to make it quick," said Luna," i have a class i need to get to." "Then i'll be quick," agreed Yusei," i'm sending you a video feed, could you look at it and see if the girl dueling can talk to duel spirits the way you can?" Luna watched the video a few seconds and then said," i'm not sure. if i was there i'd be able to tell but i can't here because cameras can't pick up the duel spirits. it sure looks like it though. Who is she?" "A duelist at the school Crow teaches at," replied Yusei," he thinks she's going to be the next big duelist." "Well good luck with that," said Luna," i'm sorry to cut this short Yusei but i need to get to class. talk to you later." She cut the connection and left Yusei staring at the video footage of Sarah. She certaintly looked promising.


	2. Chapter 2

the day of the tournament arrived and i was nervous. Everyone at school besides Mr. Williams was saying that i wouldn't make it. but then again no one knew what i could do. the fact that no one would know my strengths and weaknesses gave me a little confidence which quickly faded after i realized that any of the upperclassmen would have had classes in getting a new opponents measure within the first few turns. I sighed, i'd do what i could and hope it would be enough. I walked into school and went straight to Mr. Williams' office. "You ready to duel today?" he asked me. "As ready as i'll ever be," i replied," i was doing battle strategies until it was time to sleep." "Good, good," he said," but remember it's not the strategy that counts." "It's the heart of the duelist," i finished for him. That was a favorite phrase of his. his other one was "Birds of a feather flock together." Well at least it made sense. "Let's go then," said Mr. Williams. We went down the halls of the school and to the lounge where all the participants would stay while they waited for their turn to duel. I was the last one there and as i walked in the principal of our school stood up from the chair she had been sitting in. "Now i know that all of you are very excited and anxious for this tournament to start," she said," but just a few rules first. No forbidden cards and no cards outlawed by the school. there will be referees at every match in case things get out of hand. I want clean matches from all of you." she eyed each of us in turn, her eyes resting for the longest on Scott. "Good luck everyone," then she walked out of the room.

a few moments later all of us participants lined up and went out into the gym. The principal said all of our names as we came in. there were excited cheers for favorites among the classes and i think i even heard a couple of Boo's for people who weren't liked. The principal also announced that there were two special guests at the tournament. Everyone in the gym looked at each other, whispering and wondering who it might be. when Jack Atlas and Yusei Fudo walked into the gym pandamonioum erupted. they were the two best duelists in the world, everyone wanted to be like them. No one knew why they had come. there were some kids who were very good but no one was really up to pro standards. maybe the seinior favorite to win but no one else. When the principal had finally gotten everyone quieted down she announced who was dueling first and then left the podioum. and without further ado, the matches began.

to everyone's (including mine) shock i won my first duel. and not only that but i won my next five duels. everyone thought it was a fluke and called form the stands over and over for the ref to make sure i wasn't cheating. I wasn't though, i was just having a string of really good luck. I reached the end of my fifth match and found that i was in line for the semi final duels. if i won that one i would at least place. I went back to the lounge to relax before my next duel. I was going to be up against an 11th grader who was the top in his class. this was going to be hard. I was almost dosing off when i heard some snickers from behind the door of the lounge. I opened my eyes and looked around. i was the only one in the room. I heard the snicker again and went over to the door. i was about to open it and go out when i heard a meowing sound from beside me. I thought better of going out and went back to my seat to look over my deck and work on strategies.

"So what do you guys think of her," asked Crow. "She's good," said Yusei. "That's a bit of an understatement," said Jack," she's got talent. I've got to wonder about her deck though. I've never been one much for dragons." "Says the person who can usually get out his red dragon archfiend on his first turn," said Crow," the deck is one she built herself from scratch. i had everyone in my class write an essay about their decks and all the strategies they use with them. I think she said her favorite card is Baby Dragon." "I guessed," said Jack," she uses it enough. you think she's psycic?" "I'm thinking she might be," said Yusei," if you look closely you can see during the battle damage her opponents gets tiny scratches and bruises. that's how it was with Davie and Maryanne." "Can we speak with her after the tournament?" asked Jack. "I'll see what i can do," promised Crow. "You seeing anyone who looks like they may make it to pros?" Yusei asked Jack. Jack shook his head. "All these kids are doing is dueling from a book. all they want to do is win. they don't get that even in defeat you learn. they don't learn from any match they play. the only one who realizes that dueling is all about heart and the strength of the duelist is Sarah." "I agree," said Crow," they need to learn how to duel the way we learned. by knowing that your deck is like your soul and no one can take it away from you."

I was in the middle of my match. i was ahead by about 500 life points and i had just inflicted another 300 points of damage to Scott, my opponent. I think that i heard a few Boo's coming from the crowd of kids. "I activate the effect of my monster," said Scott," now by removing a card in my graveyard from play my battle damage becomes zero." most kids in the crowd cheered the move and of course they thought my certain defeat. Then Scott attacked me directly. The room erupted into cheers for Scott. this time i was as sure as i knew my own name that they were booing me. well this is a cruel world that we live in. The duel went on for a while and the final move was decided by a move that i made. His monster had 300 more attack points than i had and if he attacked my monster then i would be defeated. but of course he didn't know the traps that i had face down for him. the first one was Surkretsu Armor and Kunai with chain. when he attacked i used Surkretsu armor to stop the attack and destroy his monster. then i played Kunai with chain and equiped it to my monster and then with his monster destroyed, there was nothing stopping me from wiping out his life points. I stepped down from the podium to the sound of Boo's from everywhere. I looked up at Mr. Williams who gave me a thumbs up sign that i had done well.

Yusei's phone started ringing just before the last move was made in Sarah's duel. "What's up Akeza," he asked. "Just for reference where are you?" she asked. "At the tournament that i told you about," replied Yusei," at the school Crow teaches at." "That's right i remember you telling me," she said," after the tournament gets out you want to meet up somewhere for lunch? I have a few hours before i have to be anywhere." Yusei smiled, it had been a while since the two of them had gone anywhere without one kid or another. "Sounds great," said Yusei," why don't you come over here to the school and we can ride there together?" "Alright i know where it is see you soon." With that she cut the connection. Yusei looked up just in time to see something that no one could have foreseen unfold.

I had just stepped down from the podium. i hadn't yet taken the cards off of my duel disk i was planning on doing that when i got back to the lounge. then Scott got off of his podium. he looked like he was about to murder someone. he never lost to anyone especially not to a girl. "Cheater," he screamed running towards me," you cheated that match." "No i didn't," i said," i won fair and square." he got closer to me and grabbed the front of my shirt. He pulled me up off of the ground and screamed in my face. "Get off," i said. I didn't scream it, that wouldn't have done anything, i said it calmly and quietly. he listened to me, to a point. He set me back down on the ground and then he punched me in the stomach. Now just as a warning to those who didn't know this, when i get mad, bad things happen. I screamed from the pain and well i'm going to say that all hell broke loose.

Crow, Jack and Yusei all realized what Scott was going to do when he picked Sarah up off the ground. they all rushed out of their seats to try and break the two of them up as all of the kids in the auditorium started yelling and making a ton of noise. they were about halfway to the scene when Sarah screamed and stuff happened. the three monsters she had left on her duel disk came to life and a hue tornado wind blew up in the room. The Baby dragon monster only attacked as long as the boy was within a few feet of the girl. the other two dragon type monsters attacked relentlessly. the wind got stronger and soon things were getting caught up inside of it. Jack and Crow were trying to stop the monsters from attacking the boy so that left Yusei to try and get the girl to call off the attack. but from the way she was reacting it didn't look like she knew it was her attack.

Yusei went down on one knee by the girl. "Are you ok," he asked her. She nodded and then looked down at the floor. "Can you stop those monsters from attacking?" Yusei asked her. "How could i?" she asked," i didn't even know they could come alive like that." His suspicions had been confirmed, she didn't know she was a psycic duelist. "This is going to be a shock to you," said Yusei," but i think you were the reason why they're attacking the boy. You're a psycic duelist. right now before i can explain this to you i need you to try and stop those monsters. Do you think you can try and do that for me?" The baby dragon monster rose up on his haunches beside the girl, warning Yusei that he was scaring her. Sarah put a hand on the dragon to calm him and then tried to call her monsters to order. But she couldn't do it. The monsters still tried to ravage the boy. Suddenly a huge dragon appeared and beat back the two dragons attacking the boy. Yusei grinned, he'd never been so happy to see his wife's dragon.

A few minutes later Scott had been carried off to another room to get his cuts and bruises take care of and Sarah had been lead off into another room. She was getting fussed over by her mother who had come to the match to watch her daughter compete. after the crowd had gotten calmed down the duels had continued. "Sweetheart are you sure you're alright," her mother asked worriedly. "i'm fine ma," said Sarah for the thousanth time," honest i am." Sarah looked at her teacher Mr. Williams. "What happened out there?" she asked him," and who's dragon was that?" Yusei, Akeza and Jack were also in the room with Sarah, her mother and Crow. "That dragon at the end was mine," said Akeza," you need to work on your control." The comment probably came out harsher than it was meant to. "What my wife means is that Sarah is a psycic duelist," said Yusei," and that she needs to learn control over her powers. has she ever been tested for powers?" that last question was pointed at the girl's mother. "No. i don't hold with that psycic powers nonsense," replied her mother," the way i see it those are just flukes." Akeza stiffened, years of keeping her emotions in check helped her to keep her calm but Yusei, Jack and Crow all knew that she hated it when people called her powers Flukes.

"Mrs. Sanders," said Crow," i'm sure that if you wanted we could have Miss Akeza give a demonstration of her powers to prove to you that they are not just flukes. but i think you can look at the damage done to the other child and the auditorium. The point is that Sarah is a psycic duelist and she needs to be trained." "I run a school for psycic duelists," said Akeza," i would gladly extend an offer to have Sarah attend the school." Mrs. Sanders finally was able to pull her wits together. "I'm sorry but that is an offer i think i am going to have to decline," she said," Like i said i don't entirely believe in these powers. the other part is that this school certaintly costs money, more than i have to spare on a venture like this. i've looked at this school before so i know the tuition and such as well as the fact that it is too far away for us to conviently commute to every day. I am flattered at your kind offer but i simply can't." "She would receive a full scholarship," said Akeza patiently," and there are dorms on school grounds as well as families who let kids from the school stay with them if they can't handle the aptmosphere of the dorm. Sarah is one of the most promising duelists i've seen in a long time and i am anxious to see her trained properly." "I don't know," said her mother doubtfully," she's never been away from home before and i don't know how she would take it." "It seems to me that we may want to ask the girl in question," said Jack, cutting in," after all it's her life we're talking about here."

My mind was still spinning a bit from everything that had been happening. i was still trying to sort everything out when Mr. Atlas asked me what my opinion of this was. My opinion, when had that really counted for much? Mom always made the big choices for me reguardless of my opinion. Everyone was looking at me so i had to say something fast. "If what happened out there really was my fault," i said slowly," then i want to learn how to control it so that no one else gets hurt. if that means going away to a special school then i think that's a leap i'm willing to take." "Oh but Sarah," exclaimed my mother," are you sure? You've never been away from home before and you might not like this place." "I may not," i said," but if i need training in these powers then i'm not so sure not liking is an option." "You'll like the school," said Akeza quickly," she'll be well taken care of Mrs. Sanders." "I'm not sure i like this but if you say this is best for her then i'm willing to do it," said my mother slowly. "If you bring her to the school on sunday afternoon," said Akeza," then i'll show her around and get her settled in." "Sunday it is," said my mom. 


	3. Chapter 3

Yusei and Akeza were having an afternoon snack in a coffee shop near the school. "Next time you have a duelist who you think is psycic i would appreciate it if you would tell me instead of going off with your friends and trying to handle it yourselves," said Akeza," after all what would have happened if i hadn't shown up with black rose dragon?" "No idea," said Yusei ruefully," next time i'll tell you if we think we have someone psycic." "Of course you will," said Akeza," After all you're married to me." Both of them smiled at each other, sharing the joy of the moment. then it was time to get back to the daily trials of life.

On saturday i was frantically packing the things i would need at my new school. Mom was helping and trying to talk me out of it. "Are you sure you want to do this sweetheart?" she asked me," i mean you've never been away from home before. i'm not sure you're going to like it." "I'm going to have to leave home sometime mom," i said," i think now would be a good time to get used to it so that it doesn't overwhelm me then." "But you might not like this school," she said trying a different tactic," the kids there might be mean or bullies or." "I have dealt with bullies and mean kids before," i said," i've lived through it and i can live through it now. mom like it or not i have these powers and i need to learn how to use them." She sighed, this round had gone to me. "I'll go and make dinner," she said. Then she left my room. after she left over my right shoulder a small orange creature appeared. "Hi baby dragon," i said. He meowed in reply, he was the thing that had meowed at the tournament," how are you?" He nuzzled my shoulder in reply and then meowed. "I'm fine," i told him in reply," are you always insubstantial? or are you only substantial when i use my powers?" Baby Dragon replied to me and then flew over to grab a stack of clothes that i had folded and left on my bed. he picked them up and then dumped them in the trunk i was using as a suitcase. "So you are substantial in a way," i said. baby dragon flew around the room, performing tricks in the air and showing off for me. Then he landed on my bed and watched me pack the rest of my things.

over dinner that night mom tried all sorts of different tactics to try and get me to stay. the fear tactic, the lonely tactic, and everything inbetween. i'd heard all these before when i wanted to do something that she didn't want me to do. usually one of them worked but not this time. this time i was determined to go to this school. i could see, even if she didn't, that i needed to learn how to control these powers of mine.

The next day everything was packed into the car and mom made one last attempt to keep me from going. In the end she got in the car and we drove to the school that i would be calling home for the next few months. It took about an hour to get there and when we finally pulled into the parking lot of the school i was happy for a chance to get out and stretch. Mrs. Akeza came out to meet us. "Put your trunk over by the desk inside," she told me," now let's start with the tour, shall we." She showed us all around the school. the dueling rooms, the classrooms, the duel runner arena, and the shop class. "We require all of our students to create and build their own duel runner," explained Akeza," my husband teaches the class that teaches how to make and use duel runners." "She won't be using the one she makes," said my mother quickly," i won't allow her to ride a runner. those things are way too dangerous." Akeza nodded but didn't reply to my mother. she just continued on with the tour. "This is a very small school," said Akeza at the end of the tour," there are only a hundred kids in all. i think that Sarah will be very happy here." "I hope she will be," said my mother, she turned to me," call me at any time, night or day if you want to come home. love you sweetheart." "Love you too mom," i said. then she was gone and i was left all on my own at the school.

"Well let's get you settled in Sarah," said Mrs. Akeza," on the paperwork your mother filled out she specified that she wanted you placed with one of the families that lets kids from our school stay with him through the year. So you'll be staying with my family." I looked up at her in surprise. "It's not uncommon for my family to take in kids from the school," she explained," we have two children that come here so it's not hard to ad another one in." "Oh," i said. "Come on," she told me," let's go." I collected my trunk from where i had left it and then Mrs. Akeza took me to the house that i would call home soon. On the ride there she told me about her two kids. "Davie is 9 and Maryanne is 7," she told me," both of them are psycic like you and i are. I'm usually out and about during the day and especailly after school. if you need anything you can usually ask Yusei." As we pulled into the driveway to their house (Mansion actually) i felt nervous. "Thank you for extending the invitation for me to go to your school," i told Mrs. Akeza," it was very kind of you." "Sarah don't mention it," she told me," when i saw what happened at your old school it was the least i could do."

In the house she showed me to my new room and introduced me to her two children. Maryanne was the shyer of the two. Davie was loud and rambunctious, always into everything and getting into trouble. As i unpacked all my things i looked around my room. Though the house was big enough to be a mansion it didn't seem as though Yusei and Akeza spoiled their kids. There were only three tv's in the house that i could count. one in the family room, one in the kitchen, and one in the shop/ garage where Yusei worked on his duel runner. My room was fairly plain and in a way it reminded me of my room at home. the effect was soothing and i knew it would be a comfort when the waves of homesickness came along. After a family dinner and an after dinner duel between Maryanne and Davie i fell into bed exhausted. i set my alarm for the next morning and went to sleep.

I was up and dressed before anyone else in the house was up, leaving me time to look through my deck and get my wits together. Baby dragon was there over my shoulder the entire time and i had a fun morning with the comments he made to me. I went out for breakfast around 7:30. Yusei was out there making breakfast. "Morning," he said," sleep well?" "Yes," i said. "How many pancakes?" he asked me. "Did someone say pancakes?" shouted Davie. He ran downstairs and landed in the kitchen. he was fully dressed and had two action figures in his hands and was making all sorts of sound effects. "I want 5," he announced. "You'll get 2 only if you sit down and put the toys down," said Yusei. Davie went over to the kitchen table and sat down. "Daddy i can't get my ribbon in," called Maryanne as she came down the stairs. She had her shoes on the wrong feet, both were untied, her hair was a mess and she was holding a brush in one hand and a hair ribbon in the other. Yusei was in the middle of getting the pancakes done so i said," Come here Maryanne, i'll do it for you." She went over to me and by the time Yusei had gotten the last pancake off the stove and was flipping the next i had her hair in order and up in the ribbon plus her shoes on the right feet.

After breakfast Yusei drove all three of us to school. I was nervous as i walked in but then i heard the now familiar meowing of Baby Dragon. i saw him over my right shoulder and with him at my side i felt the courage to go in and face what was coming. I stopped by the office and one of the secrateries there gave me my new schedule. I looked it over as i tried to find my way to my first class. This school was more of a college, i knew from the tour, it was an open campus for kids of high school age. So i had five courses all totaled. Today's first class was a strategies class. i found my way there after asking for directions (twice) and introduced myself to the teacher. He was a big guy by the name of Tanner. He looked like the type of person that you didn't want to mess with. he gave me a little overview of the course and the material that i would need. i found that there were 5 people including me in the class. as Tanner lectured, he used clips of footage from duels and had us try and figure out where the duelist that lost went wrong and the strategies that each of them were using. It was a fun lesson all in all. i would have it three times a week.

i had about an hour and a half or so till my next class so i found my way to the library. I think that i've got a homing mechanism for them that i was born with because i found it with no problem. I spent the time that i had getting lost in the history section. it was my favoite course and i found that i could take out books so i found three that i wanted to read and got them and made my way to my next class. this one was taught by a young woman and it was about the spirit realm of the duel spirits. it was a fun class, made funner still by the comments that Baby dragon made while she was lecturing about the realm about funny things that happened there when Baby dragon was there. I was enjoying myself to the point that after class i stayed behind and asked questions about the things that baby dragon had told me about. that was my last class of the day so i went back into the library and got lost in it till it was time to go home.

"So what did you guys think of her?" asked Yusei. He was on a four way call with Akeza, Tanner and Luna. "She was fairly quiet in my class but when she did speak she seemed very insightful," said Tanner," i can't really tell yet but i think you guys are on to something with this girl." "What about your class Luna," asked Akeza. "She can see duel spirits," said Luna. "Are you sure," asked Akeza. "Sure as i can be," said Luna," i could see her talking to her own duel spirit. i think it was the card Baby Dragon." "Her own duel spirit?" asked Yusei," you mean like your Kuribon?" "Yes just like it," i could see him talking to her the entire lesson," said Luna," she reminds me of me at her age. she's quiet and finds happiness in ways you wouldn't expect. but she's very lonely." "I would think so," said Akeza, more to herself than anyone else," her mother was very oppressive and controlling. i'd be surprised if the girl had any friends." "She seemed kind of wary of adults," said Tanner. "But she can be articulate when she wants to be," said Luna," after class she asked me all about the things that Baby dragon had told her." "I need to go," said Akeza," i have a meeting to get to." "Well we all had better go then," said Yusei," have fun and keep posted." 


	4. Chapter 4

The next day was much like the first for me. and in between classes i memorized my schedule. On monday, wednsday, and friday i would have dueling strategy class. On tuesday and wednsday i would have history class. On monday and wednsday i would have the duel realm class. on tuesday, wedsnday and friday i would have Gym class, which was basically dueling class. And on thursdays i would have an all day class. it was the class in which i would make my duel runner and learn how to use it. i wouldn't be riding it though. mom absolutely forbid me to ride a duel runner. She says that they're dangerous but i think the last known fatal accident was the year i was born. the accidents today are much more minor. History was fun, it was taught by an old man named Yanagi. he had traveled all over and collected rare cards that we learned about. this class had about ten kids in it. After class i went to the library and got lost in the history section.

In gym class the teacher paired us up with each other to duel. i was paired up with a girl two years older than i was. We dueled twice during the class. she won both times but i nearly beat her the second time. I recognized my powers now that i knew i had them. every time the other girl took battle damage i saw that she actually got hurt, little scratches here and there. "Good duel," i said at the end of class. she just looked at me weirdly and then flounced off to be with her friends. Ok then, i thought, some kids here obviously not friendly. note to self try not to talk to her again. I made my way to the library until it was time to go.

"Leo how did she do in class today," Asked Akeza. She was sitting in her office doing work while checking up on her latest arrival. "I think that you need to get her a control thingy," said Leo. "The proper term is Psycic control module," said Akeza with a little chuckle," and why do you say that?" "Because the damage she gave her opponent was real," said Leo. "Alright i'll make sure to give her one," said Akeza," keep me posted on what happens in class." "Sure," said Leo," uh Why?" "Leo you are so daft," said Luna coming up behind her brother and appearing in the digital screen," it's because Sarah's the most talented psycic duelist they've found since they opened the school." "Well how was i supposed to know?" asked Leo. "We'll keep you posted on what she does Akeza," said Luna before cutting the connection. Akeza sighed and let the screen dissolve and disappear before looking up. in the doorway to her office was a boy about 15.

"Hello Darryl," said Akeza," What can i do for you?" "I was just wondering about the new girl that i've seen in the halls," he said," who is she?" "Oh her name is sarah," replied Akeza," did i forget to introduce her around?" "Yes you did," said Darryl," everyone's been wondering who she is." "Oh bother," said Akeza," i'll have to do that tomorrow." "Actually that's what i was coming to ask you," said Darryl," if you want i could introduce her around to everyone." "Are you sure," asked Akeza," won't it cut into your classwork?" "Not at all," he replied," i have the same shop class as she does. i'll introduce her around on thursday." "Thank you so much Darryl," said Akeza. "You're welcome," he said. then he walked out of the office. In fact Darryl had another motive for having an excuse to speak with me.

Wednesday passed hectically for me. it was my heaviest class load of the week and i was hard put to keep all of my homework in order. but it did pass and when Yusei drove me and his two kids home at the end of the day all i wanted to do was go into my room and crash. which i did. i think i slept from three to six and then did my homework and went back to sleep. I woke up on Thursday to Baby dragon Meowing in my ear. i looked over to my clock and saw that i was late. it was 8: 30 and i needed to be out the door by 8:45. I got dressed as fast as i could and then rushed downstairs. "You're late," cried Davie as i rushed downstairs," we thought you would never wake up." "Sorry," i cried rushing into the kitchen," i overslept." "I think that's obvious," said Yusei, he handed me two breakfast bars," Grab your backpack and hurry out to the car." I did as he told me and soon i was on my way to school. When we got there Davie and Maryanne went into the elementary school part of the school and i followed Yusei to the shop since this was the day of my duel runner class. Class wasn't due to start for another half hour or so but Yusei started me early since i would have to start entirely from scratch where everyone else in the class was about half way done with theirs.

i got started sketching my design. and by 10:30 i was done. i showed it to Yusei and he gave my design the seal of approval. He showed me how to get started and left me to it. Around 12:00 a bell rang. everyone in class started cleaning up but still left some things out. i just kept on working and i got so caught up in it i didn't realize when Yusei came up behind me. "Aren't you going to go have lunch," he asked me. "Lunch?" i said the word as if it were a foreign one," huh?" "Lunch," he repeated," aren't you hungry?" "I"m heading to the cafe now," came a voice from the other side of the room," she can tag along with me." "Oh thanks Darryl," said Yusei," go on Sarah." "Come on Sarah," said the boy. he grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room. "Come on," said Darryl," you need to eat sometime." "Usually i don't," i said," i just hit the library and read till it's time to go." "You've got to be the weirdest girl i know," said Darryl," all the ones i know wouldn't go near the library if their lives depended on it. and none of them ever skip lunch. even if they are dieting."

the cafeteria had to have been able to be heard all the way on the other side of the world that's how much noise there was. "How does anyone think let alone make themselves be heard in this noise," i asked Darryl. "The same way you're doing it now," he told me," here, grab a tray and follow me in line." I followed his directions and soon found myself facing a plate piled high with food so hot the tray was starting to burn my hands a little. Darryl had called out greetings to friends along the way which unnerved me a bit. i never liked crowds and this one was doubly so. as soon as i got out of line i looked around and made a beeline for the first quiet spot i found. I had started eating and was reading while i did. i loved reading (especially history) books so much i had learned how to do most things while i reading. about the only things i can't do are read in class or while i'm swimming in a pool. of course eating pudding one handed is a bit of a challenge but i manage.

"You are very good at going invisible when you want to," said Darryl as he sat down across from me at the table. "If i went invisible i would get bumped into constantly," i said while reading my book," the goal is to blend in and make sure i get seen so people don't bump into me, yet make sure that i blend in enough that i don't bring attention to myself and have people leave me alone." "You make it sound so easy," said another girl dumping her tray right beside mine," so you're the new girl. i'm Amie." "Sara," i said," nice to meet you." "So how many courses are you taking?" asked Darryl. "5," i replied. "5, you've got to be kidding me," said the girl," how do you keep up with all the work?" "It's easy," i said," i just make sure to work on it the night i get it. that way i don't forget it or if it's a big project i get a good start on it and then work on it till it's done." "You make it sound so easy," said Darryl. I shrugged and kept reading. the bell rang signaling the end of lunch just then and i gathered up my stuff and went back down to the shop where i spent the rest of the day happily getting covered in grease oil and making my runner. Before we left for the day i made sure to check out a couple of books on the subject of making duel runners from the library so i could read up over the next week.

the next few weeks saw my perception of dueling change in huge, ginormous, jumps. my two favorite lessons were history with Yanagi and spirit world class with Miss Luna. I could never wait to get to these two classes and was always sad when they were over. Baby dragon accompanied me just about everywhere in that class, his funny comments almost got me in trouble for laughing in class a couple of times. If it wasn't for the fact that i wouldn't be allowed to ride my duel runner when it was finished then shop class would also have made it into the favorites list. usually whenever i wasn't in class i was working overtime on the runner. i couldn't wait to see the finished bike.

we were out on the bike track one day working on technique. I was listening and learning on the sidelines watching everyone else ride their finished duel runners. out of all the din that the runners the class had made i could hear the sound of a different motor approaching the track. when it burst into view everyone else looked surprised, not having picked up on the sound, then pleased as they recognized the man on the white runner. Jack Atlas stepped off the runner and went over to Yusei. "This the new class," he asked. Most of the kids were excited but they didn't act like the kids at my old school had acted. i suspected they were used to him dropping in on their classes from time to time, seeing how he and Yusei were best friends. He watched and taught for a while as i read and took notes on the class, (i really couldn't classify this as class since the teacher wasn't really watching me). I had just finished the notes as Jack came my way. i didn't see of course cause my eyeballs were hypnotized by the markings on the page of my book.

"Why aren't you out there practicing?" he asked me. "Because my runner's not done yet," i replied. "But the school has practice runners," he said," why aren't you using one of those?" "Because my mother won't let me," i replied," she says they're dangerous and refuses to even let me touch one." "But it's been years since the last fatal duel runner accident," exclaimed Jack. "try telling that to my mother," i said," oh well, riding or not i'm still learning just by watching the class. it's fine." This startled Jack a bit though i didn't catch it, i'd gone back to my book. Jack went back over to Yusei. "Her mother won;t let her touch a duel runner," Jack said," but she's got boatloads of talent and it's wasted with her not being able to ride." "But she's still learning," said Yusei," even if she's not actually being on a runner." "That's just what she said," Jack told his friend," she said that she's still learning and that it'll be fine." "I still need to ask her mother to lift the restraint on that," said Yusei," whether she's learning or not, she'd learn better on a bike."

three weeks later the bike was done. i had worked every spare minute i had on it and looking at it now just made it all worth it. then i sighed and turned away from the bike. i had done all the programming and had checked to make sure everything worked. the only thing left to do was test ride it. but i couldn't, not after mom put that restriction on me. It was just about lunch time and everyone had stepped out to get a bite to eat. i hadn't gone back to the cafeteria since that first time and i wasn't about to now so i looked around everywhere to make sure no one was in the room or the halls or the track. then i walked my bike out to the track for a test run. every part of me sang with excitement and anxiety. if i got caught i would be in so much trouble. i snapped on my bike helmet, put in the password that would start the car, and got going. The roar of the motor, the exiliration of the speed, and my heart sounding like every time it beat, someone would drop a car. i sped around the track at around 70 MPH, letting myself take in everything, letting myself be taken in by the excitement of actually riding in a duel runner for the first time. 


	5. Chapter 5

when i first heard the roar of a second motor i didn't really pay attention to it. but as i got closer and closer, i looked back to see who it was. I would have recognized that white duel runner on the moon. It was Jack Atlas' duel runner. "Nice to see you finally on a bike," he shouted over the cacophony of noise," now let's see what you can do on it. ready to duel?" If mom ever found out what i was doing, i'd be out of the school faster than you could squish an ant. but mom wasn't there, and she was never going to know. i don't think i'd ever taken a risk that big before. and i couldn't wait to take it. "Let's duel," i replied.

one of the things we were required to do in Tanner's class was make sure we had two decks. one for regular dueling and one for turbo dueling. i had made my turbo dueling deck and always carried it around with me even though i had thought that i would never, ever get a chance to use it. now there i was on a duel runner i had just finished, dueling Jack Atlas. the duel was fierce. the words that Mr. Williams had told to me came back now. "Bring your A game to every duel and when you walk away win or lose make sure that you come away with a lesson." i did it now, noting what i would need to work on in the future and noting what my strengths were. Jack had tons of cards in his deck that were used to wipe out a certain amount of his opponents life points. he used all the ones he drew on me. i was down to about 300 life points by the end of the duel. i played the last card i had but it wasn't enough. i lost to him but i took away the lesson of who i was as a duelist. where i was and what i needed to do to make it in the world. "Good duel," i told him as we were walking our bikes off the track," that was a lot of fun." He smiled at me. "you've got lots of talent for this," he told me," has anyone ever told you that?" "Not in such a way that i would believe them," i replied," especially since i know talent alone won't win me duels." "The bike looks great," he said," keep working on it and your dueling. you'll shape up to be a fine duelist one day."

Unbeknown to me three other people saw my duel that day. the first one was Yusei. he had more or less set me up to duel Jack like that. i guess that he had known that the time would come when i would throw caution to the wind. the other two people were Darryl and Amie. "She's good," said Amie watching me walk my runner off the track," she's very good." "Yea, it's disgusting," replied Darryl," i can't believe everyone's making such a fuss over her." "So what are we going to do about it?" Amie asked. "I think we have a few phone calls to make," he replied," with any luck we can make Sara's life her at school miserable. before she came along we ruled the school. we will again."

what i never knew was that from the first time i walked in the door of the school the halls had been abuzz with my name. everyone wanted to see me duel and meet me. usually no one transfered into the school during the year unless they had considerable talent. at first no one could see anything different between me and the other psycics but gradually things started to make those lines sharper and more distinct. Darryl was jelous that all this fuss was being made over me. before i had come, he had been the star duelist in the school and he now wanted to keep it that way.

soon it became apparent that i had a few enemies in the school. i would find things missing from my bag at the end of a class. the kids in gym would use more of their power on me than they were supposed to. (Behind the teachers back of course) i even found my duel runner vandalized a few times. by now i was riding my runner on a more or less daily basis. i would go out and ride it at lunch since i still had that restriction from my mother on me. i lived through it though and just let what the other kids were doing slide off my back, especially since i didn't even know why they were doing it. i was talking with baby dragon after my duel realm class on day and saying how much i wanted to go. "You don't want to go there now," he told me. "Why not?" "Because the stories that your teacher tells you and the ones i tell you happened a long time ago. the realm has fallen into a state of disrepair now," he told me. "I'm sorry to hear that," i said," i really wanted to go there." "Believe me you don't," he replied.

by now at school things were worse than they'd ever been no one at the school would even talk to me now. all of them would snub me given half a chance. every day something would go wrong for me. one time someone had messed with my bike so bad that it took me a week to fix. once my backpack with all my homework in it went missing for a whole day. and in gym everyone would take a chance if they could to jump me with their power. i had scratches all up and down my arms for weeks one time. i think Yusei and Akeza suspected something was up but if they did they kept it to themselves.

one day while i was in the library wandering and getting lost in the history section baby dragon disappeared from just above my shoulder where he always hovered. i didn't think too much of it at the time. he went away and came back as he pleased. usually he would be back within the hour. he didn't reappear until that night. "Where have you been?" i asked curious and a bit worried. "The spirit world," he answered. "You look horrible," i told him," have you been fighting?" "Yes," he replied," something is trying to take over the spirit world." "How could anyone do that?" i asked sceptically," with all of you living there and with all that power. i don't see why anyone would bother. they'd get squelched in a heartbeat." "Normally that would be the case but there has been a disease going around that has weakened many of the monsters powers," he told me," i did not catch it because i am here on earth most of the time with you."

"So all of you who didn't get sick are fighting the invading force?" i asked," i don't like the sounds of those odds." "I don't but it's what we have to work with," he said. I went back to doing my homework but my mind was still on what baby dragon had told me. "Baby," i said suddenly," would my psycic powers be of any use on the spirit world?" Baby dragon considered the question for a moment and then said. "I'm not sure i understand what you're asking." "If i went there would i be able to use my powers?" i asked eagerly. "I've heard stories of it being done," he said at long last," i'm not sure i quite like what i think your idea is." "Can you transport me to the spirit realm?" i asked. Baby dragon bolted upright. "See here," he began. "It's a yes or no question," i said cutting him off," answer." "I could," he said reluctantly," but i'm not going to try it any time soon." "I could help with the fight," i said," if you could get me there i could use my powers and help fight." "Absolutely not," said Baby dragon," never let that thought cross your mind again." We argued back and forth a bit more with him coming out on top. it turns out it didn't matter though, i ended up going anyways.

the next morning Yusei was busy getting his two ready for school. "Mary anne could you please go up and knock on Sara's door and tell her it's time to get up," Yusei asked his daughter. Sara was sometimes late getting out of bed but even for her this was rediculous. "Daddy, daddy," called Mary anne," she won't wake up. she's still asleep." "Alright pile into the car then," he told her and her brother. "But what about Sara," asked Davie. "I'll come back around noon to see if she's awake," Yusei told him," now you two get into the car."

At school Yusei found Luna waiting for him in his classroom. she looked worried. "What's up Luna?" Yusei called. "Something's going on in the spirit world," she said," Kurebioh is saying that a human has appeared in the realm." Yusei sat bolt upright at the comment. "Who are the spirits saying it is?" he asked. "They're saying that it's a girl named Sara," she said. "Sara didn't wake up this morning," said Yusei. Together they bolted into action at once. "I'll tell Keza and Jack," said Yusei. "I've got leo, her mother and tanner," replied Luna.

Back at the house everyone entered Sara's room. Yusei checked the girl's pulse and breathing. "You're absolutely positive that she's in the spirit world?" said Akeza. Luna nodded. "She is," said Luna,"i wish i had control over my powers so that i'd be able to get there with her." "What about one of the kids," suggested Tanner," could one of them be able to cross over?" Akeza shook her head. "None of them have even shown the slightest hint of having that power," Akeza told him," Luna can you see the baby dragon spirit? He may be able to tell us more about what's going on."

Luna stared off into the seemingly empty space above Sara's bed. "He's here," she told everyone," he's been wondering what took us so long. He says that the cries for help from the spirits pulled her through to their side. it also helped them that she wanted to go and see what it was like." "DOes he know anything that can help us?" asked Yusei. Luna shook her head. "He says that the only spirit that would be able to bring me through is the crimson dragon."

"And we don't know how to summon him," snapped Jack," wonderful." "Settle down," said Leo putting a hand on his friend's arm," we may not be able to go through but is there any way that we would be able to bring her back?" Luna looked at her twin, stunned. "Leo i think that's the most intelligent thing that you've ever come up with," said Luna," now the question is why didn't i think of that?" "Face it sis," he said," i'm just that smart." 


End file.
